Chapter 160: Gossip about Military Wives
The procurement logistics soldier shouted his warning, climbed into the cab, and cranked the engine to set off.
Hearing the roar of the motor, the squabbling military wives had no choice but to cut their arguments short and scramble to sit down. No matter how much they objected, everyone knew that if they weren’t settled by the time the heavy truck lurched forward, they would fall head over heels.
Sure enough, the vehicle slammed into gear the exact moment the women found their footing.
Sheng Wanyan was caught off guard by the violent momentum of the truck and immediately reached out, gripping the iron railing behind her to steady herself. Down below, the wives forced to sit on the floor could only grab the lower metal brackets of the benches to keep from sliding around.
It was a grueling two-hour drive just to reach the outskirts of the city, and at least four hours if they wanted to get to the true commercial downtown. Going by bicycle would easily take three hours. Fortunately, there was a local supply and marketing cooperative near the base, which was close enough to reach on foot.
The military region also maintained its own internal shop. It wasn’t a formal supply and marketing cooperative, but rather a small commissary set up by the base command to sell daily necessities. To make life easier for all the sisters-in-law, standard household goods were kept in stock, though the quantities were always quite small.
“Aunt Xie, is this Captain Gu’s new wife?”
The speaker was Captain Wu’s wife. She was still bitter about the five White Rabbit milk candies her husband had brought home the previous evening; her two sons had fought over them all night, and she and Captain Wu had ended up in a massive row because of it.
Naturally, she had formed an incredibly sour impression of Sheng Wanyan before even meeting her. Seeing how breathtakingly beautiful Wanyan was today, she immediately branded her a vixen in her mind. No wonder her man protects her so fiercely. It turns out she has exactly the kind of face meant to seduce men.
“Yes, she is,” Aunt Xie replied.
Captain Wu’s wife sniffed inwardly, convinced that Wanyan had used nothing but her looks to ensnare Captain Gu.
Hearing Political Commissar Xie’s wife confirm the identity, another woman—the wife of Deputy Battalion Commander Wang—lifted her head and looked over. She was sitting directly across the bed from Sheng Wanyan, and Wanyan felt the weight of her gaze immediately.
Deputy Battalion Commander Wang’s wife offered a warm, polite smile and spoke up first. “Hello, I am Yang Wanshu. My husband is Deputy Battalion Commander Wang.”
The moment Wanyan looked at her, she couldn’t help but label her a true beauty. If Wanyan’s own looks were bright, striking, and ethereal, Yang Wanshu was the epitome of gentle grace—soft to the very core. She radiated a scholarly, elegant aura that made people feel instantly comfortable around her, even if her individual features weren’t mathematically flawless.
“Hello, I am Sheng Wanyan. My husband is Deputy Regimental Commander Gu.”
Hearing her formal introduction, Yang Wanshu paused for a fraction of a second before her smile widened with genuine warmth.
Aunt Xie stepped in to smooth over the introductions for the rest of the car. “This is Captain Gu’s wife. She’ll be living in the compound with us from now on. Most of us here are military wives, and we ought to look out for one another in the future. Only when our home front is stable can our men focus on their duties properly.”
As the political commissar’s wife, it was Aunt Xie’s job to maintain harmony among the women. After all, the conduct of the military wives directly reflected on their husbands’ reputations and careers. If a wife caused a scene, her husband would ultimately have to bear the consequences. The men already carried an immense burden and worked tirelessly every single day; Aunt Xie couldn’t bear to see them weighed down further by petty household drama.
Hearing the authoritative reminder from the political commissar’s wife, the women on the truck smiled and nodded in unison. No one was foolish enough to offend Aunt Xie and cause trouble for their own husbands.
“Yes, yes, that’s exactly right. We’re all part of the same military family, so we should help each other out.”
“Of course, Auntie, don’t you worry about us.”
“That’s right! By the way, what is Captain Gu’s wife’s name?”
During this era, women in the compound were almost exclusively referred to as “the wife of so-and-so,” and few actually knew her given name.
“Hello, everyone. My name is Sheng Wanyan,” she introduced herself clearly, taking the opportunity to build a rapport with the group.
“Sister-in-law Gu, are you heading into the city to stock up?”
“Yes,” Wanyan nodded. “Since I just arrived at the compound yesterday, the house is practically empty. There are a lot of things we still need to buy.”
“Oh, tell me about it! When I first moved here, I had to buy everything from scratch. It cost an absolute fortune.”
With a relatable topic on the table, the barriers began to break down, and the truck bed soon buzzed with lively chatter.
“How old are you, Sister-in-law Gu? And where is your hometown?” someone called out over the roar of the wind.
At the question, every woman on the truck pricked up her ears to listen closely.
“I’m twenty-one this year, and I’m from Chengdu.”
The wives nodded to themselves. It made perfect sense; given Captain Gu’s stellar rank and background, there was no way he was going to marry a simple village girl.
“So, are your parents factory workers?”
“Yes, they are.”
Hearing that she came from a proper urban, working-class family, a wave of deep envy washed over the crowd. Most of the military wives had grown up in poverty-stricken rural areas where boys were heavily favored over girls, forcing them to perform grueling manual labor from the time they were children. To them, holding a secure factory job in a major city was an unimaginable dream, and even visiting a city was a luxury.
“Were you a worker yourself before this?”
Wanyan gave a firm nod, making no attempt to deny or minimize her past. She truly saw no reason to hide her family background; she wasn’t a wealthy heiress from the future who had to worry about tracking eyes or political targeting. On the contrary, in this specific era, being transparent about a solid working-class pedigree earned you immediate respect. At the very least, even if someone disliked you, they would think twice before starting trouble.
Inhale!
A collective gasp echoed through the flatbed as she confirmed her status. Female factory workers were incredibly rare and highly respected.
“So… you actually resigned from your post?”
“Yes, I did.”
A chorus of sighs and clicking tongues followed. Captain Wu’s wife, who had been stewing in jealousy over Wanyan’s impeccable background, felt a sudden surge of vindication. Hearing that Wanyan had willingly thrown away her urban job left her feeling utterly dismissive. Without a job, what made this girl any different from an unemployed village mouth to feed?
“Why on earth would you quit such a wonderful position…”
“Exactly, that was a permanent worker’s slot!”
Hearing their intense pity over her unemployment, Wanyan simply smiled and shook her head silently. She understood their obsession with factory jobs; in this era, having a family member on a state payroll was a badge of immense honor that could comfortably sustain an entire household.
“What is there to pity?” Captain Wu’s wife sneered loudly, cutting through the conversation. “If she hadn’t resigned, how could she have managed to marry Captain Gu?”
Several women nodded, thinking the comment made practical sense. After all, once a woman married a soldier, she couldn’t exactly live hundreds of miles away forever.
However, Wanyan caught the nasty undercurrent in the woman’s tone. The implication was clear: she was suggesting Wanyan had used her resignation to trap Gu Tingxiao, or that she wasn’t truly worthy of him.
“Captain Gu is our youngest deputy regimental commander, and his future is completely limitless,” Captain Wu’s wife continued, her voice dripping with artificial concern. “His family is based right in the capital. If he married a wife who couldn’t even manage a proper career and just stayed at home, people would look down on her!”
The moment the words left her mouth, every woman on the truck realized she was launching a direct, public attack. The spectators shifted their gazes between the two women, the atmosphere instantly turning icy.
Wanyan’s smile vanished, her eyes darkening.
Aunt Xie’s face turned absolutely black with rage. What kind of malicious nonsense was this? Anyone with eyes could see that Sheng Wanyan was beautiful enough to have suitors lined up out the door. Did a girl like that ever need to worry about finding a good marriage? Aunt Xie was a realist; based on Wanyan’s face alone, she could have married into an elite family without lifting a finger.
Just as the political commissar’s wife opened her mouth to fiercely berate the woman, Wanyan’s cool, steady voice rang out across the flatbed, completely unbothered.
“Sister-in-law Wu, since you feel so strongly about a wife’s qualifications, I can only assume Captain Wu’s family must be absolutely thrilled to have a daughter-in-law like you.”
The words hit like a physical blow. Captain Wu’s wife’s face instantly flashed from pale white to a furious, blotchy black.
She choked on her breath, completely unable to utter a single word in retort. How could her husband’s family—proud, lifelong city dwellers—ever be genuinely satisfied with a daughter-in-law who had come straight out of the deep countryside?
